


You know what happens to traitors?

by A_Pinch_Of_Sage



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom
Genre: Betrayal, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Protectiveness, Tubbo is truly Jschlatt’s son, Villain arc begins!!, as the wise Philza said, can’t have shit in L’manberg, just an idea idk, maybe don’t threaten the kid who has nukes...?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28940037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Pinch_Of_Sage/pseuds/A_Pinch_Of_Sage
Summary: Tubbo took a step forward.On instinct, Jack took a step back.“I have been keeping a close eye on everything since L’manberg’s fall from grace,” another step forward. He lowered his voice to whisper the last word, “Everything.”“What are you implying?”Tubbo sighed. “Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. I know what you’ve been up to, Jack. I know what you have been hiding.”
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 16
Kudos: 231





	You know what happens to traitors?

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing good. 
> 
> ~~~
> 
> This is another impulse fic that I made to fill the protective (villain arc) Tubbo shaped headcanons in my heart. 
> 
> It’s hard to keep up with all the streams so some of these fics might be inspired by a past stream. I actually made this like two weeks ago, but the nuclear test stream was yesterday so!

Jack scanned the various colorful buttons and stone levers laid out before him. 

The metal panel took up the entire western wall of the building, resting underneath two large windows that overlooked the bay of Snowchester. Pine trees and snow blocks as far as the eye could see. As one could imagine, it got quite cold at night with it being located in the middle of a spruce forest. In fact, it was so cold that ice blocks formed on the surface of the newrby ocean. 

Jack shifted his gaze down uncertainty to the small silver key resting in his palm. His fingers started sweating at the power held in the small piece of metal. Was he really about to do this? Could he go through with this? No...no. He had to. It was for the sake of the server. It needed to be done. 

Tubbo stood beside him, a matching key clenched in his fist. 

Anticipation or nervousness? Or maybe both. It was their first test after all. Who knew what could go wrong. 

Tubbo took a step forward, clearing his throat. 

“Alright, let’s do this. You ready?” 

Jack nodded. 

“I was born ready.”

After counting down from ten, both keys were inserted in the proper slots and turned clockwise. The complex redstone machine shifted to life, torches lighting and pistons activating. Thousands of blocks away, the nuke waited to be dropped. 

“Let the first official Snowchester nuclear testing begin,” Tubbo declared and pressed a button. 

A pleasant buzz filled Jack’s veins that quickly spread throughout his entire body. Any remaining doubts or fears vanished in the blink of an eye. He licked his lips in anticipation, ready for his secret plan to fall into place. 

It was hard not to smile, nor did he want to keep it down. He looked out the window, gaze focused on the island in the distance. If all went according to plan, Niki led Tommy to the launch sight to gather spruce wood for his hotel and escaped seconds before the launch. Tommy would die on impact, and they’d find him in the crater ruins.

From an outside perspective, it would look like a freak accident. No one told him that it was a launch site or nuke test. How was he supposed to know? 

Unbeknownst to him, Tubbo was already one step ahead of his perfectly crafted plan. 

The machine powered down, sticky pistons and observers slowing to a stop. 

Jack failed to hide his disappointment, lips turning downward. He turned to his partner. 

“What happened? I thought you said this was going to work?” He asked. Everything went well! His plan was falling apart right in front of him. “So why isn’t it working? What went wrong?”

Tubbo lifted his head, lips stretched into a cat-like grin. His normally light brown irises were darker, void of any brightness. Instead, it was filled with an unexplainable, heavy emotion. Pools of inky black stared back at him.

Jack’s heart lurched. 

The air shifted around them. A tension slowly built, flowing through the room like an early morning fog 

“Tubbo?” Jack called nervously. 

Something wasn’t right. There’s no way he knew. Jack made sure of it. The only other person who knew his plan was Niki, but she wouldn’t betray him. She wouldn't…would she? No, of course she wouldn’t. 

“What’s wrong, Jack Manifold?” Tubbo questioned cheerfully despite the dreary setting. It was unsettling to say the least. “Things not going according to plan?” 

Jack’s stomach clenched. His hands were cold and clammy at his sides, the beginning stages of panic starting to settle in. 

“I—what do you mean?” He stuttered out. “With the nuke? Yeah, I’m just disappointed that we spent all that time perfecting it for nothing. Back to the drawing board, right?” He chuckled nervously, hoping that would relieve the tension. The pressure kept building around them though neither would address it. Not yet. If Jack was being honest with himself, he was scared shitless. He didn’t know what would happen when the tension breaks. The uncertainty was suffocating. 

Tubbo didn’t laugh. Not even a twitch of his lips. His expression was sculpted into a perfectly calm mask. 

“No, the nuke was supposed to go off. The plan was perfect, I made sure of it. There was not a single thing wrong with the layout, the nuke, or anything.”

Jack licked his lips. “Then why didn’t it work?”

“Hm? Oh, that’s because I did an override to power it off seconds after we activated it,” Tubbo said casually like telling the time. He ran his hand along the smooth surface of the control board, soft fingertips grazing cold metal. 

Jack’s breath hitched. The knot in his stomach tightened. No, no, no. This was not how this was supposed to go. He couldn’t haven’t figured it out. There’s no way he did. 

“You’ve gone quiet, Jack,” Tubbo pointed out. “Is there a problem?”

Jack straightened immediately. He shook his head, the words stumbling out of his mouth. “N-No, sir. No problems here.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah?”

Tubbo leaned against the control board, his slim fingers gripping the metal edge. His back was facing the other, but the smile could be heard in his tone. 

“Well, heh, it’s funny that you said that because…I noticed a problem, Jack. One that couldn’t be overlooked. Do you want to know what it is?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“I…No?”

“My friend, my loyal companion and citizen, it seems that I have a problem with trust and loyalty,” Tubbo began and turned around to face the man. 

His expression was calm, an easy smile on his face. Anyone else would assume there wasn’t a problem but something lingered beneath his words. His lips stretched a little too thin, eyes crinkled a little too much. It looked forced, like he was holding himself back. Tubbo was let in on a secret, he knew something that everyone else didn’t. 

“You see, Jack, I’ve been used and betrayed time and time again since I was given this position. I trusted anyone and saw the best in people. Willing to set aside differences and forgive those who necessarily didn’t earn my forgiveness,” Tubbo said. He looked off to the side to stare at the wall, his jaw clenching. 

“Well, you can trust me,” Jack insisted. 

“Oh really?” Tubbo raised a brow. “You’re a trusting man, Jack? You’ve never thought about betraying me before?”

“Would never dream of it. I’m loyal.” 

Tubbo’s shoulders slumped. He nodded to himself, seemingly convinced. 

“Okay. Yeah. You’re right, I can trust you…”

Jack sighed in relief. 

“Yeah, I can trust you,” Tubbo confirmed with a grin. Jack grinned back. It was fine, everything was fine. They were okay. Just a bump in the road, the plan will continue.

Out of nowhere,Tubbo’s smile fell. 

His entire demeanor changed, words dripping with poison as they left his mouth. “That’s what I thought before I learned the truth.” Tubbo stood tall and proud, confidence oozing off his person. Shoulders squared back, chin up, hands folded behind his back. Those were words people would never ever consider associating with the boy. Not after running a country into the ground. He was just a kid. 

“The...the truth?” Jack parroted. 

“Yes, that’s what I just said, Jack. Are you paying attention?”

Tubbo took a step forward. 

On instinct, Jack took a step back. 

“I have been keeping a close eye on everything since L’manberg’s fall from grace,” another step forward. He lowered his voice to whisper the last word, “Everything.”

“What are you implying?” 

Tubbo sighed. “Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. I know what you’ve been up to, Jack. I know what you have been hiding.” 

“I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“You’re not hiding anything from me—He’s not hiding anything from me,” Tubbo repeated comedically then laughed maniacally. He spun around and adjusted his suit jacket, mumbling something under his breath.

“Tubbo…?”

The boy spun around and held up an accusing finger. His eyes were on fire, blazing with hate and betrayal. “You’ve been conspiring against me! You and Niki! Don’t deny it! You were planning on using my weapons against me. How could you do this to me? We’re supposed to be a team.” He sneered. 

Jack was speechless.

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said weakly

“Oh really?” Tubbo challenged. “Why don’t we just bring them in ourselves then.” Turning away, he called out Tommy’s name, encouraging him to come out from wherever he was hiding and to bring the pink haired girl, too. 

A metal door creaked open, two pairs of footsteps echoing throughout the room. Tommy was the first to enter, completely unharmed. Not a hair out of place. He had his hands in his pockets, lips pursed in thought. 

A girl with faded pink hair and glimmering purple armor appeared beside him. She anxiously played with her hands, eyes darting to the other three in the room. 

“Ah, Niki. So kind of you to join us,” Tubbo said sarcastically. Niki kept her head down, deciding to stay quiet. That was the best thing she could do right now. 

Tubbo turned back to Jack. “You shouldn’t have lied to me, Jack,” he snarled. “Especially to my face, that’s just disrespectful. Are you trying to make a fool out of me?” 

Jack desperately shook his head. “No! No, of course not. Tubbo, you know me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you—or Tommy!” He added quickly. That only seemed to make the boy angrier. 

“You did! You and Niki were going to kill Tommy! Don’t deny it! Lying won’t spare you.”

“They were gonna what?!” Tommy squawked and whipped around to face Niki. “Is this true?!” She kept her eyes trained on the floor, her bottom lip being mercissily chewed on by her teeth. 

The silence was deafening. 

“What—Why? Why?! Why Niki?” Tommy persisted. “What did I ever do to you? Why is everyone on this server trying to kill me?” 

Niki snapped her head up, eyes narrowing. “Everything, Tommy! You destroyed L’Manberg with your recklessness, and you blew up the community house!”

“I told you that wasn’t me—”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re a liar!” She interrupted, throwing up her hands. “Why should any of us believe what you have to say? You only care about yourself, Tommy, you’re selfish.”

“I may be many things, Nichachu, but selfish is not one of them. I happen to love women, and they love me.”

Niki growled. “You are the literal textbook definition—”

Tubbo clenched his fist. 

“Alright, that’s enough!” He yelled. 

The two stopped arguing. Tubbo exhaled shakily, breathing in and out slowly to calm his erratic heartbeat.

“You lied to me, Jack,” he said simply, Jack didn’t deny it. There was no point now. He was caught red-handed. “You lied, and you deceived me. That makes you a traitor to Snowchester, and we all know what happens to traitors, right?”

The three shivered at the lone, bringing up flashbacks to that day—the festival. Schlatt’s piss poor attempt to celebrate Democracy. Tubbo had lost his second life then. He was exposed as a traitor and executed in front of everyone. He could still hear the drawback of a crossbow, could still feel the burn of the firework as it exploded against his skin. They replayed in his head over and over again. 

Do you know what happens to uhh, to traitors, Tubbo?

...No?

Nothing good.

“Nothing good,” Tommy whispered. 

Tubbo nodded. “Exactly. They need to be punished for what they did—what they tried to do. And failed, I might add.”

“No need to rub it in,” Jack sniffed. 

Tubbo ignored the comment and cleared his throat. “That’s why I’m going to be executing them.”

Wait, what. 

“What?!” Niki and Jack yelled in unison. 

Tommy’s eyes widened. “Woah, woah, woah. Big T, isn’t that a little—don’t you think that’s—execute them? I know they tried to kill me and all, but everyone is! And look,” he pulled at his shirt, “I’m fine! No one can kill me, I’m invincible—Tubbo, don’t. I know you want to kill them, I mean, Jack is a dickhead, to be honest, so I don’t blame you—“

“I’m right here!” Jack yelled, and Niki, who moved over to him during the argument, elbowed him in his ribs. A silent warning. “Ow! What the hell, Ni—oh.”

Tubbo’s expression didn’t change. Meanwhile, Tommy continued to splutter and ramble about the absurdity of it all. 

“They are traitors, Tommy. They need to be punished,” he said firmly.

Tommy groaned, anxiously running a hand through his hair. 

“We can learn to forgive and forget, can’t we? I mean, I was exiled and here I am! Alive and well! Don’t do something drastic, for once, we need to be reasonable.”

“I never thought I’d hear Tommy of all people scold someone for their moral reasoning,” Jack mumbled. 

“Shut up!” Niki hissed. 

“Sorry.”

Tubbo fixed his suit jacket. “I’m tired of being used, Tommy. Quackity was right and Dream was right. I was a pushover and a pawn.”

“Hey, no, don’t listen to them! Dream isn’t shit compared to you. He’s an ugly green blob who ain’t shit. It’s not the Dream smp, remember? It’s the Tommy smp. And Quackity is...well, Quackity,” Tommy shrugged. He shook his head, forcing himself to pay attention to the matter at hand. “Anyway, you aren’t a pawn, but this isn’t you, Tubbo. I’m fine, you’re fine. We’re both okay, so don’t do this.”

Tubbo turned away and pulled out his enchanted netherite axe, the black metal glinting under the artificial light.

Niki and Jack back themselves into the wall, stuttering out pleas and apologies falling from their lips in hopes that it would satisfy Tubbo. 

It didn’t. 

“I’m sorry, Tommy, but they need to pay for what they’ve done,” Tubbo said calmly and raised his axe, hoisting it above his shoulder. 

Tommy rushed forward and grabbed onto his friend’s arm and desperately tried pulling him back. “Tubbo, wait! Put the fucking axe down, man! Don’t do this—“

**JackManifoldTV was slain by Tubbo_**

**Nihachu was slain by Tubbo_**

*

Tommy didn’t look at him afterward. He couldn’t look at him. Not after what he did. 

He still couldn’t process what happened if he’s being honest with himself. His brain couldn’t wrap his head around it. That Tubbo, Big T, the Tubster would do such a thing. Out of all people, who would’ve guessed. Their desperate screams still played on loop in his mind, chilling to the bone. 

The gentle tides of the ocean didn’t help calm his nerves either. After it was all said and done, Tubbo had suggested that they go for a walk to clear their heads. Who would’ve guessed that murdering two people would help a man listen to reasoning. 

Under their heavy boots, the thin blanket of day old snow crunched as the pair of best friends walked along the coast. Hands in their pockets and eyes looking anywhere but the factory on the hill. 

Tubbo hummed softly, which was bizarre to say the least. He looked completely calm, no traces of tension or anger on his face. Tommy couldn’t believe it, he refused to believe it so he asked, breaking the silence. 

“How are you so calm about this?” 

“Hm?” Tubbo glanced over. “Calm about what?”

Tommy spluttered. “Calm about w—you know what, dickhead! You just freshly chopped Niki and Jack like they were fucking vegetables!”

“I told you, Tommy. They had it coming. It was either you or them.” 

“Yeah, but did you really have to go and kill them? We only have three canon lives, you know!”

Tubbo spun around and threw up his hands. “Exactly! And you only have one left, they would’ve taken it from you if I didn’t intervene!”

Tommy scoffed, crossing his arms. 

“Oh please, they weren’t gonna kill me. I’m stronger than both of them, I could easily beat both of them in a fight.”

“Tommy, this is serious,” Tubbo exasperated and rubbed a hand across his face. He sounded as tired as he felt at that moment. The bags under his eyes only seemed to worsen. “You could’ve died. That would’ve been it for you. I...I could’ve lost you,” he whispered.

“But you didn’t! Cheer up! I’m still here, big man. No one can tear us apart—except the whole exile thing. And Dream. He’s in prison now though, so we don’t have to worry about him.” 

Tubbo sighed. 

“You don’t get it, I had to make a choice.”

“Well, you fucking made one all right.”

“It was either you or them,” Tubbo stated it like a simple fact. “And I chose you—I’d always choose you, Tommy. You’re my best friend. I did the right thing, I know I did. I’m not gonna lose you, not again.” 

With that being said, he turned back around and headed towards his winter cabin, leaving Tommy alone to ponder everything. 

_What the fuck._

**Author's Note:**

> It’s all fun and games till you threaten a British kid’s best friend and the kid happened to make nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Shit.


End file.
